Boston 2015...And Reflections From Boston 2014

We are less than a week from the joy and pain (from mile 6 on and especially from mile 23 -26.2), but I'm thinking a lot about Boston 2015!

This is probably partly due to my reaction of the wheels coming off late during Boston 2014 and thinking "I can do this race better!"  The wheels coming off show pretty well in my splits:

The first half of the race I ran 1:33:30, and the second half of the race I ran 7:31 slower....so in 1:40:01. What doesn't show well above are four miles at close to 8 minute pace at the very end. I lost about five minutes there. This isn't all that bad, but I actually hoped to run 3:05 total for the event. I still think 3:05 is a reasonable time for me, but I need to modify my training going into next year in order to make the next jump up. 

Here's what im thinking in terms of modifications:

1. Practice running downhill at race pace. This is my number one training modification. I can see this happening on Geddes, hospital hill or out at Cass-Benton in the form of repeats. 

2. Do at least half of marathon pace runs outside and include hills during the runs. This wasn't possible this year due to the harshest Michigan winter in my lifetime, but I'd be surprised if we had that again. 

3. Make 6:45 or 6:50 the target pace for next year's event. This isn't a huge jump. I will need to make sure my speed continues to develop this summer and fall, but I think it is reasonable. 

4. As far as diet goes, I need to eat less junk and figure out if weighing five pounds less might make sense. I've been at the same weight for about four years, and it seems a good weight for me. However, some investigation here makes sense. I should likely start this investigation now. 

Things that went well in training for Boston 2014:

1. The quality of my workouts was high due to the treadmill. I didn't always love the treadmill, but it did serve me well helping me to stay consistent with pace goals

2. Run focus with lifting but not much swimming or biking. 

3. The Higdon Advanced 1 plan woke dwell again this year. And it fits my schedule fairly well with more time required on he weekends. I wonder if the Higdon Adavanced 2 would make sense.

That's it for now...tri season began yesterday, so biking and swimming need to ramp up now. To that end I started more intense lifting yesterday and am looking forward to riding today (outside!) with the young bucks at 10 am.  Hoping it all goes well and it gets me on the path to riding faster this year. 

Three Tips for Running Downhill | Runner's World

I think this mostly explains the issues I face yesterday in the Boston Marathon…

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/three-tips-for-running-downhill?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-RunDownhill

Three Tips for Running Downhill

When most runners tackle hills, they focus on the difficulty of the climb. But downhill running poses its own set of challenges - and rewards.

Descending feels easy aerobically, but each step triggers muscle-damaging eccentric contractions in the quadriceps and lower legs, says Greg Wells, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at the University of Toronto and the author of Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the World's Best Athletes. On level ground, these muscles shorten as they fire; on declines, they elongate while under tension as they work to control your speed. This creates more micro-tears in each fiber, which stimulates muscle growth but leaves you fatigued and sore. That's one reason the Boston Marathon, with its four-mile downhill opening stretch, is such a hard course.

Practicing running down hills prepares your body to handle these eccentric contractions, decreasing the negative effects and improving your performance on net-descent courses like Boston's. But even if you're not training for a hilly race, you can benefit from incorporating regular downhill running into your routine: The muscle you build working on the decline translates into faster paces on any terrain. You will be able to run faster with less effort, giving you the ability to perfect your technique at near-top speeds. And then there's something any kid could tell you: "Downhill training can be a tremendous amount of fun," Wells says. Here's how to safely enjoy the way down.

Select Your Slope

You can practice downhill running through either focused repeats or an extended run on a hilly route (see "Perfect the Plunge," below). Either way, you'll want to choose your hills wisely, says Sean Coster, an exercise physiologist and running coach at Complete Running in Portland, Oregon. Extreme grades - say, 20-percent drops - increase the impact too much (and the risk of ankle, hip, and knee injuries). Instead, look for a gradual slope of no more than eight percent. (To determine the grade, use a GPS watch that tracks elevation: Run up the hill and then scope your data for the elevation change. Divide this by the distance you ran in feet to get the slope - .08 equals eight percent.) Choose softer, more forgiving surfaces, such as grass or gravel, if you're new to downhill work. But if you're training for a hilly road race, progress to some paved declines in the months beforehand to practice, says Rebekah Mayer, national training manager at Minneapolis-based Life Time Run.

Focus On Form

Use mental cues to optimize your form and reduce your injury risk. Instead of looking at your feet, pretend you have a grapefruit nestled between your chin and your chest, Coster says. This keeps your gaze 10 to 15 meters in front of you and your posture upright. Engage your core and lean forward slightly from the ankles, aligning your upper body over your lower body or even slightly ahead of it - battling your natural tendency to lean backward and slow down, Mayer says. As you descend, shorten your stride and quicken your cadence. That way, you'll take lighter steps and land more on your midfoot instead of using your heel as a brake. And keep a slight bend in your landing leg to avoid absorbing all the impact in your knee, Wells says.

Time It Wisely

If you're planning for a descent-filled race, begin adding downhill workouts early in your training schedule. "As with any new training type, it's always best to start small," Mayer says. Begin with one downhill session every other week. Eventually, you can work up to one or two per week, but schedule another only when you've completely recovered from the previous one, Wells says. If you're running a race with extremely steep downhills, make at least a few of these workouts race-effort runs that include similar terrain, Coster says - but avoid downhill repeats on such sharp declines. And dial things back again as your race nears. Avoid pushing the pace on downhills two to three weeks beforehand, when the risk of injury outweighs the benefits, Mayer advises.

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Post race dinner!

Approaching the flat Coke bounty at mile 20

Thanks Patty and Eileen!

Thanks also to my running escort and on course photographer Steve McLean!

At the finish line morning after...

Morning after marathon walk on Boylston St.

I was looking strong at mile 10!